Thats been my growing impression, that it applies any time getting around dry is far more important than doing it with style. Thats something I gave up on not long after losing one inner ear. When Ive asked my buds who surf the swell luffed what it requires, their unanimous answer is, balance. So I just rig bigger and do it powered up. Sounds like big surf and I are not a good mix.

Wind in the Gorge
VERY often varies by 20-20-40 knots, all day, at spots just 10 miles apart . . . sometimes just two miles apart. Now factor in its 200+ mile length and imagine the possibilities . . . and complications. Its why the pagers are crucial to sailing here and why we drive so many thousands of miles in a season if shred time is really important to us.

I did it (dirt bikes, skiing/boarding, snowmobiling, windsurfing, fishing, etc.) in Utah, New Mexico, and upstate NY, and one could do 4-5 quite different sports most days in my neck of the woods. It aint THAT rare . . . and more dependent on attitude than location, if one chooses their location with any concern for such things. It always amazes me how many people whine about their recreational opportunities yet wont relocate -- or walk out of the office at quitting time, or drive -- to improve them.

If I still lived in my van IN the Gorge and did nothing but chase wind and sailed in 6.0 conditions (~18-22 knots), Id easily double my days of sailing. But since I dont drive the 70 miles to the river unless the forecast and/or current conditions warrant it, I miss many unexpected 2-3-hour sessions and a few all-day blows. I got burned out chasing poor odds, whether down the road or across an ocean, years ago.

Ive had exactly the oposite experience. Id guess that at least 90% of the people Ive asked say they work to make a living, that even those with jobs they like say theyd walk away if they didnt need the money.

But their actions speak far louder than their words, individually and collectively. Some observations:
1. A human resources professional in a large government org told me she knows many people (and I know some) of retirement age with crappy jobs, a fat pension waiting, and seven figures socked away who will not retire because they have zero outside interests. How sad.

2. Every week I see yet one more person lamenting his home turfs chronic light air, yet VERY few of them will even consider . . . heavens!!! . . . MOVING. Given todays emphasis on portable 401ks rather than vested corporate pensions, our location flexibiliy should be increasing.

3. Many of my and my wifes working peers STILL cant get over my having retired at 45. Many of them asked for YEARS afterwards, Has Mike found a job yet?, emotionally unable to accept the fact that some males are not defined by their job title, that they dont need external confirmation of their achievements, that I dont NEED no steenkin job, that sports are more satisfying and addictive than most careers . . . and that sports exist outside sports bars and big-screen TVs. Hell, I never even open the Sports section of the paper, and watch almost no sports. Im too busy having fun (and filling mandatory squares we all face) to have time to watch others having fun.

Oh, hell, YES its an expensive sport! With gear inventories running five figures, dedicated vehicles, hundreds of thousands of miles driven in pursuit of wind in vehicles that were chosen for convenience rather than fuel efficiency, air fares, relocations to windy areas, sacrificed promotions -- even careers -- you betcha its expensive!

OTOH, MANY people do it while living in pickups and vans worth $1,500 max, with gear worth only twice that . . . and some entry-level job in the off season to buy a little gas and a used sail for when the water warms up again.

I.E., WSing often expands to fill the fiscal space available, and anyone who REALLY wants to do it makes the time and the sacrifices required by their own specific situation. The vast majority of its financial and logistic impediments are manageable given sufficient motivation. I cant think of any career not available in a great WSing location . . . for those who actually NEED a career, such as with young families . . . which are ALSO optional.

However, for Saturday the 15th, can you say, HELLO? Only one source says it so far, but it says head east and take your smallest $#!+. If the other forecasters come around, summer aint over til its over -- and the guys who caught the waist-high swell way east Thursday say it aint over.

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